Unseen Terror 2022: Days 4-6

My apologies for the delay. I have no excuse for being later than usual with these silly little reviews (well, besides lethargy and work). I do solemnly swear however that these entries from the past three days will make up for this. And besides, I can give you a brief history lesson about the following "franchise" for those of you reading who are unfamiliar with such.

To start off, not that it necessarily comes as a shocking revelation, but you should watch George Romero's classic feature Dawn of the Dead if you have yet to do so. It is inarguably one of the most prolific and influential motion pictures in the horror genre and changed the public's perception of the "undead" genre. Easy enough, yes? Well, here is where things become...complicated. When Dawn was released overseas, it was retitled Zombi. As I've mentioned in reviews from years prior, the Italians (bless their hearts) tended to film unofficial sequels to foreign films. Thus, Lucio Fulci's Zombi 2 was released as a "follow-up" to Dawn of the Dead. Both pictures have fuck all to do with one another, but uh, they have zombies! So, there's that! In America, Zombi 2 was released under the titles of both Zombie and Zombie Flesh Eaters (of which I have the soundtrack to on vinyl!) for legal reasons that should seem fairly obvious. Overseas, the Zombi series continued with a myriad of in-name-only sequels.

First up is 1988's Zombi 3, which while boasting the highest body count and best budget among the three, also has some ridiculously convoluted history itself. Zombi 3 was originally set to be directed by Zombi 2's director, the ultra-talented and sorely missed Lucio Fulci. Alas, he fell ill during filming (though some dispute that he was squabbling with producers) and left the project after shooting roughly 50-60% of it. The rest was left in the hands of fellow Italian schlockmaster Bruno Mattei. I've covered Mattei in the past on here and though I hate to speak ill of the dead, I am not the hugest fan of his body of work. Thankfully, most of Zombi 3 works due to Fulci's influence being far greater on the final product than that of the man who gave us Shocking Dark and Cruel Jaws. Zombi 3's plot revolves around scientists working on a biological weapon called "Death One," which shocker of shockers, falls into the wrong hands and is accidentally unleashed on a small island. You can take one guess as to what happens next, but despite some familiarities between this and other "outbreak" flicks (and characters that all kind of blend together), there is still a ton of fun to be had here. The gore is pretty great, the dubbing is hilariously terrible, and the soundtrack, while not on the same levels with other Italian horror classics, is still pretty rad. Highlight of the film easily goes to a zombie head in a refrigerator seemingly defying the laws of physics and speeding towards a person like a bullet to bite them on the neck. Good, goofy nonsense.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Zombie 4 (alternately released as After Death). I cannot understand how one concocts a plot that involves a voodoo priest, a gaggle of mercenaries who look like WWF jobbers from the 1980s, and the undead but manages to make it so unbelievably boring. Then again, when you've got the person behind Troll 2 and Monster Dog sitting in the director's chair, this movie barely stood a chance. If there are any positive aspects of Zombie 4, it is that the title track from its soundtrack is a certified banger and Jeff Stryker (primarily known for his work in pornographic flicks) does a fairly admirable job with the material he's given. Still, there is little reason to visit this one unless you have to watch literally every picture involving a zombie. Showing this to people who want to get into Italian horror is the equivalent to giving a curious, new metal fan "St. Anger" as their first Metallica album.

We finally come to Zombie 5, which goes by the much better title of Killing Birds. Without giving a large number of details away, the poster and title for this motion picture is a lie. Yes, there are birds. Yes, there is killing. There are no killing birds (the most damage dealt by one is via pecking out Robert Vaughn's eyes). There is also a criminally low amount of zombie action, and it takes a full HOUR before things start going truly awry. The story has something to do with students searching for woodpeckers in Louisiana and it leading to a blind man with ties to the undead. Or something. This was honestly a struggle to get through, and it doesn't help that much like the aforementioned Zombie 4, the movie just kind of...stops rather than ends. Side note: do you know how difficult it was to search for "Killing Birds" online without finding pictures that repulsed me?

While the latter two pictures are not of the highest quality, both of Lucio Fulci's previously mentioned features (as well as most of his filmography) are available for viewing and purchase and are definitely worth investing your time in. But fret not, we are not completely done with Italy this month! Come back soon for another evening with Dario Argento. As for tomorrow though? Well, I think Tobe Hooper has that day reserved.

Unseen Terror 2015: Day 1

To quote one of my favorite podcasts, happy days are here again! My yearly collection of assorted viewings in the realm of horror cinema has returned, this time for its sixth year. If you aren't familiar with how I do this, I handpick at least thirty one different films that deal with horror in some way shape or form, and watch them across the span of thirty one days. I know, this isn't exactly the most unique concept when you peruse the internet (most notably Youtube), but this is just for my own amusement and potential torture. This year, however, I've added a very special twist: within a little more than a week, I shall be celebrating my thirtieth birthday. To commemorate this, I've specifically chosen films released between the years of 1985 and 2015, with at least one film released during that year to serve as said daily entries. We'll dive into the glorious pickings of the late 1980s, suffer through some rather difficult viewings of the late 90s, and scratch at our heads at some of the works of the mid 2000s.

Without any further stallings, let us commence the journey into my ramblings disguised as reviews.

The world has been ravaged and torn apart by a zombie apocalypse. Anyone who is not infected is an uncommon attraction among the millions of dead that plague the planet. Still, two groups of survivors have taken refuge underground, only to surface if supplies or food are becoming scarce. The first band of people is a troop of soldiers, lead by the brash, if not slightly ill Captain Henry Rhodes. The other is mostly comprised of scientists, who are a more optimistic pack of individuals, with one even going so far as to experiment on the deceased, believing they can be tamed through the right means. As tensions mount between the two, the undead evils above ground grow closer and closer...

Given that I absolutely love the original Night of the Living Dead and enjoy Dawn Of The Dead a good amount, you would have figured that I had seen George Romero's third entry into the zombie genre that he helped make into the juggernaut that it is today. Shockingly, I had not. Hell, I actually purchased a copy from Anchor Bay (THIS one with a velcro cover to be exact) nearly a decade ago with the intentions of watching and most likely adoring it. Again, that amusingly did not happen. Why you might ask? No reason. Well, perhaps laziness, but that can be my excuse for most things in my own personal life.


But after having finished Day Of The Dead, I really do need to remedy these problems disguised as mere procrastination. While I don't feel that the third entry in Romero's initial zombie trilogy is his strongest project, it does have a lot of impressive aspects to it. For starters, there is an immediate sense of dread and hopelessness that is set in stone from the very beginning. The barren cities (for what we see of them) give you the impression that something rather serious has occurred, making the world of modern day zombie tales such as The Walking Dead seem paltry in comparison. Accompanying it is a rather wonderful score by Mr. John Harrison, whose previous work on noted cult favorite Creepshow was also solid, if not a bit sillier at times. It almost makes up for the disappointment of realizing that Dawn composers Goblin and Dario Argento aren't back for the ride this time around. Almost.


Director George Romero has always seemed to have a knack for getting memorable performances, be they excellent or hilariously bad, out of his cast, even if the subject matter at hand was far from top notch material (Monkey Shines comes to mind). Joseph Pilato's Captain Rhodes is obviously the first person that will come to mind for previous viewers and even first time watchers such as myself. He's delightfully psychotic, but still somewhat sympathetic during select moments. The rest of his personnel came across as too cartoon-like for my taste, especially given the terrible situations that these people are in. Perhaps it was delusional behavior that was meant to hide how they really felt living in a society overrun by zombies, but maybe I'm looking into this too much. I couldn't help but be amused by Anthony Dileo Jr's character though, as he plays the supporting boyfriend to star Lori Cardille, but sounds like he's about to cry in every scene that he appears in. When the time comes for him to actually let out legitimate wails of anguish and pain, you just want to tell him to try harder since it seems like he used up all of his energy earlier in the film. Lead expert Dr. Matthew Logan, aka "Frankenstein," seems like he graduated from the Jeffrey Combs school of "matter of fact" acting, though that is far from a complaint given that the latter is one of the most underrated actors of the past three decades.


I suspect that what will keep people coming back to repeated viewings of Day Of The Dead will be its notorious scenes of violence, gore, and dissection. With each installment, the pure insanity and outrageousness has gone up exponentially, turning from Night's initial shock, to Dawn's slight disgust, and finally settling into Day's pure, unadulterated horror. Though I am certainly not going to spoil if anyone in particular or rather notable dies during its two hours running time, I can say that the final act is the movie equivalent of an early Cannibal Corpse or Dismember record. The legendary Tom Savini (Dawn Of The Dead, Friday The 13th) is at the top of his game here, being assisted by future juggernaut Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead, Misery), and every single kill is just a sight to behold. It was no wonder that the former was given a Saturn Award in 1985 for his work on the set and makeup.

"Ey fam, check out my mixtape."

It's easy to just gush like a fanboy about this wonderful little gem, and honestly, I'm not sure that I've even said much that hasn't already been uttered by horror connoisseurs and experts across the continent. Day Of The Dead's influence is mighty, seen in underground follies like Fido (the idea of domesticating or controlling a zombie) and the Resident Evil series of flicks (there are far too many to count). I don't know if I can fully back George Romero's statement that he believes this is his best work, but it's a great specimen and example of the genre that is often overcrowded with lackluster or unimaginative efforts. If you're a fan of the people vs. people vs. zombies formula of a certain modern television show that draws higher ratings than most other programs, you may want to find a cheap copy to buy (and if you have the money, do a double screening with another little zombie classic from 1985 that I've reviewed before!).



Oh, you're broke you say? Well, it's also available on Netflix's instant streaming service. So there you go you cheapskate.




Tomorrow, we're diving into two entries for 1986. One choice will deal with the vehicular side of horror. The other takes us back into the realm of H.P. Lovecraft. What do they have in common?



....you're not paying attention if you ask that question....

Unseen Terror 2013: Day 1

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.